This Texas Engineering Experiment Station project aims to further the understanding of how turbulent flame speeds vary for syngas blends under realistic engine conditions and compile and demonstrate the validity of a comprehensive kinetics model that can predict laminar flame speed and ignition behavior of high-hydrogen content fuels in the presence of likely contaminants and diluents. The project will utilize both flame speed and shock tubes test facilities to obtain fundamental combustion data relevant for chemical kinetics modeling. Experiments include existing flame speed and shock-tube facilities as well as a new high-pressure turbulent flame speed with a capability up to 20 atmospheres with a controllable and repeatable level of turbulence.

Project Benefits

This project will improve the understanding of how turbulent flame speeds vary for high hydrogen content (HHC) fuel blends. Understanding turbulent flame speeds of HHC fuels in the presence of likely contaminates allows hydrogen combustor designs that produce fewer emissions at higher temperatures. Specifically, this project will utilize both flame speed and shock tubes test facilities to obtain fundamental combustion data relevant for chemical kinetics modeling to assess the impact of likely impurities and validate kinetics sub-mechanisms for each impurity at realistic ranges of mixture composition, stoichiometry, and pressure.